


Five Times Darcy Lewis Met Captain America, and One Time She Met Steve Rogers

by fade_like_starlight



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: 5+1 Things, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-04
Updated: 2013-02-04
Packaged: 2017-11-28 04:54:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/670495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fade_like_starlight/pseuds/fade_like_starlight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Exactly what it says on the label. Featuring Jane/coffee, Darcy/taser and Steve/awesomeness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Times Darcy Lewis Met Captain America, and One Time She Met Steve Rogers

**One.**

‘JANE!’ Darcy pushed her way past the SHIELD agents and other random emergency workers and grabbed Jane into a hug. ‘Are you guys okay? Where’s Erik? That is the last time I leave you alone in the lab just to feed your caffeine addiction, I swear!’

Jane laughed softly. ‘We’re fine, really. Just dusty. It hit the other side of the building, and Cap here got us out okay before it reached the lab.’

Darcy grinned up at Captain America. ‘Hey,’ she said. ‘Thanks for rescuing them.’

He nodded and smiled. ‘Anytime, ma’am.’ Someone called out to him as Jane looked at Darcy.

‘Wait,’ she said. ‘Darcy, where’s my coffee?’

‘Are you kidding me?’ Darcy asked, flabbergasted. ‘Are you fucking kidding me, Jane? The building was smashed. Your lab collapsed. I have been stuck on the other side of that barrier for two hours, waiting to see if you were alive or broken or kidnapped. And you’re worried about the fucking coffee?’

Captain America laughed and handed Jane a bottle of water. ‘Here,’ he said. ‘It’s not coffee, but it might help.’

‘Thanks,’ Darcy said again, as he turned to leave. ‘Jane, I drank your goddamn coffee.’

**Two.**

‘Hey, Captain!’ Darcy called as she spied him in the hallway ahead. He turned around, eyes squinting a little under his - helmet? cowl? - as he looked to see who called.

‘Oh, hi,’ he said. ‘Jane’s assistant, right?’

‘Yeah,’ she said, catching up to him. ‘Darcy. Nice to meet you. Properly. You know, without concrete and rubble and explosions.’

‘Sometimes I think that’s the only time I get to meet people,’ he said wryly.

‘Well, you know where I work,’ Darcy said, slowing down to split off from him and turn right towards the lab. ‘You do know, right? We moved into 48B. Stop by and say hi sometime. Preferably without the need to rescue us like fairytale princesses.’

‘I might just take you up on that,’ he said, waving as she left.

**Three**

‘I didn’t mean stop by like this,’ Darcy yelled as Cap swung through their new lab, shield flashing and fists punching. 

‘Sorry!’ he yelled back as the bad guy of the week smashed into a machine that looked a bit like a dishwasher. ‘Was that expensive?’

‘Little bit,’ Darcy called, sticking out a leg to trip Bad Guy #2. She tased him as he went down for the count. She winced a little as Bad Guy #1 smacked Cap in the face, but it didn’t even slow him down as he lashed out with his shield. It was only a matter of seconds before the baddie joined his buddy on the floor. 

‘Sorry,’ Captain America said again, holding out his hand to Darcy. She took it and stepped over the twitching guy. 

‘Most guys just bring flowers,’ she said, ‘or maybe chocolates.’

‘Well, I’m not most guys,’ he said, then pushed her behind him as another villain burst through the door. The Captain took him out with one blow to the head, then turned back to Darcy. ‘I promise you, next time I will only bring flowers.’

Darcy laughed. ‘I will hold you to that. Now get out there and defeat these assholes.’

**Four.**

Another day, another public ceremony thanking the Avengers for saving the world. Darcy shifted her bag from her right shoulder to her left and stretched up on her toes, then dropped back.

‘Bored?’ Jane asked. 

‘Of course not,’ Darcy lied.

‘Yes, you are,’ Jane said. ‘So am I. How long do these things usually take?’

‘Hours,’ Darcy said. ‘But that’s usually because I’m stuck out here with the entrance to the Tower blocked off and you on the phone screaming at me to get back to the lab.’

‘I don’t scream at you,’ Jane said, mildly indignant.

‘True,’ Darcy conceded. ‘You usually sound lost and disappointed, which is sometimes worse.’

‘Well, if we ever get out of here,’ Jane said, taking her turn to stretch up and try to see behind the makeshift stage, ‘I promise to scream more.’

At that point, as if they’d heard her, the crowd began to yell and cheer as Thor and Captain America stepped onto the stage. Thor was waving as though he’d done this his whole life (well, actually, he _had_ ), and Captain America just looked faintly embarrassed.

After the speeches, the crowd began to dissipate. Thor stayed near the front, taking photos with babies and grown men in capes ( _really?_ ), and Jane pushed her way up to stand near him and glare at the SHIELD agents who clearly wanted him to stop. Captain America had jumped off the stage at the very first opportunity and Darcy had lost sight of him in the crowd. She turned around to head back to the lab and was confronted with the very impressive chest of the superhero in question. 

‘Hey,’ she said, looking up. ‘Nice speech.’

He held out a KitKat. ‘I forgot the flowers,’ he said. ‘Is this okay?’

Darcy couldn’t help the little squeal that escaped. ‘Ooh, my favourite!’ she said, opening it and snapping it in half. She offered one bar up to him as she crunched the other. 

‘I feel like I’m walking with a movie star,’ she said as they headed back. People stared and pointed, and Darcy tried to smooth her hair over as she heard the telltale camera click of a hundred smart phones. ‘Except for the bodyguards. I guess you’re kind of your own bodyguard, right?’

‘I wouldn’t be so sure,’ he said. ‘Look right, behind us just a bit.’ She glanced over and he continued. ‘That’s my SHIELD detail. They think they’re hiding, dressed as civilians and everything, but-’

‘They’re not fooling anyone?’ Darcy asked, giving them a wave. The woman glared at Darcy as the man grabbed her wrist and they fell back a bit.

‘No,’ Cap said. ‘It’s ridiculous, honestly, but sometimes it’s easier than arguing.’

‘Well, the offer still stands,’ Darcy said. ‘Jane keeps the lab scrupulously SHIELD-free.’

**Five.**

‘I swear I’m not doing this on purpose,’ Cap said as Darcy ducked under the ticket barrier at the subway station. He broke the latch on the emergency exit and covered Darcy as she held it open for the steady stream of commuters evacuating.

‘I believe and forgive you,’ she yelled over the crowd. ‘Go, I’ve got this.’

‘No, it’s fine,’ he insisted as he helped up a man who’d tripped. ‘Widow’s down there, she missed the last couple of battles so I promised her she could take all the glory this time. There was a whistle and a bang as an arrow hit something and exploded. ‘Hawkeye, too.’

‘Oh, well, if it’s a matter of keeping tally,’ Darcy said, rolling her eyes. ‘What, you all have a scoresheet posted up in the kitchen or something?’

‘It’s in Tony’s workroom, actually,’ Cap said, grinning at her as the last few people left the platform. ‘Come on, let’s go check the other side.’ He ran up the stairs and she followed, enjoying the view. He didn’t seem too worried, so neither was she.

‘Tony’s going to be mad. I think this puts Clint ahead of him.’

‘You’re serious?’ she asked as he jumped down the last few steps to the platform then turned and reached up to lift her down. He grinned and his eyes sparkled under the hood.

‘Saving the world is serious business,’ he said. ‘Also, you get extra points for fights underground.’ 

She laughed as he lifted up the block of wood that had fallen across the exit. A woman clutching a small child rushed out, crying her thanks.

Captain America nodded, all business again. ‘Just up the stairs and to your right, ma’am,’ he said as five or six other passengers followed her.

‘That’s everyone from down here, Captain America,’ a station worker said, rushing past with the last two passengers. 

‘Good work,’ Cap said, pointing him in the same direction as the others. There was another crash, and then a whooping yell.

‘Hell yeah, ten points! Suck on that, Stark,’ and Hawkeye appeared in front of them, upside down, hanging from the roof. ‘Hey Cap! We’re all good. Widow’s just cleaning up -’ he paused, as if he was listening to something far off - ‘no, Widow’s just finished cleaning up. You guys get everyone out?’

‘All clear,’ Cap said. ‘Good work. Tell Black Widow SHIELD are on their way down, then both of you get out of here.’

‘Aye, aye, Captain,’ Hawkeye said, popping out of view again. Darcy slipped her taser, which she’d been clutching ever since the emergency sirens began while she was getting off her train, back into her pocket, and checked her watch.

‘Aw, crap,’ she moaned. ‘I’m supposed to be at the hairdresser right now. Pepper’s hairdresser. Do you know how long it takes to get an appointment with him? Months, Cap, _months_.’

‘Your hair looks fine,’ he said, looking her over.

She sighed and started climbing the stairs out. ‘Thank you, but I’m supposed to go to a benefit tonight. I have a killer dress, and I was hoping to have matching hair. I’m kind of hoping this superhero I know will ask me to dance.’

‘Do you really think your hair would stop me?’ he asked, following her. They exited into the sunlight, and she blinked a few times. Her glasses were long gone, fallen off somewhere between Platform 9 and Platform 10.

‘No,’ she said, ‘but being around you always seems to lead to me having my photo taken.’ She sighed as a reporter circled them. ‘See?’

‘Go,’ he said. ‘I’ll handle this. And I’ll see you tonight!’

**One.**

Steve looked around the room, trying very hard not to crush the flower in his hand. He’d thought about buying a rose, but Tony talked him out of it. Too serious, too fast, he said, and when Natasha and Pepper both nodded, Steve agreed. He’d gone for a stem of orchids instead - beautiful and exotic.

The benefit was in full swing, but he hadn’t seen Darcy yet. As he contemplated taking another walk around the room, he saw her appear in the doorway, wearing what was indeed a stunning blue dress. Steve took a deep breath. He didn’t have a problem flirting with her in his uniform, but there were a lot of things that were easier to do as Captain America, including making speeches, being the face of the Avengers, having his photo taken, and yes, flirting with beautiful women. 

But, if he’d been reading the signs right - and he was pretty sure he had - then tonight was not about flirting, tonight was taking the next step with Darcy, and hopefully getting to have a proper conversation, and maybe a dance. And he couldn’t do that by hiding behind his shield.

Confidence gathered, he strode over towards her.

‘Hi,’ he said, smiling, quite possibly like a loony person.

‘Hi,’ she said back slowly, looking at him slightly oddly. He pressed on.

‘You look lovely tonight,’ he said, meaning it.

She still had that weird expression. ‘Thanks,’ she said, looking around the room behind him. ‘I, uh, I’m sorry, I have to...’ she trailed off, then slipped past him into the room. 

Steve blinked. That was... unexpected. He weighed his options, considered the outcomes, and decided it was worth the risk. He followed her.

‘I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?’ he said, catching up to her at the bar.

‘How could you?’ she asked, taking a glass from the bartender. ‘We barely exchanged five words.’

‘Oh, it’s just that you left so quickly,’ Steve said.

‘Look,’ Darcy said, not unkindly. ‘It’s not you.’ She looked him up and down. ‘It’s definitely not you. Any other night, and I’d be - but that’s not the point. I’m sorry, but I’m supposed to meet someone.’

‘Oh,’ Steve said, and felt his heart and shoulders drop. ‘I thought you - but it doesn’t matter. I’m pleased for you.’

‘Okay?’ Darcy said, raising her eyebrows. She took a look around the room, spinning in a slow circle. “I don’t think he’s here,’ she said.

‘How about I keep you company until he arrives?’ Steve asked, leading her over to a table. 

Darcy shrugged. ‘If you like.’

‘So who is this guy, anyway?’ Steve asked. ‘And what’s he doing leaving you alone, in a place like this, lookin’ like that?‘

Darcy smiled and took a sip of her drink. ‘You know,’ she said, leaning in, ‘I actually don’t even know his real name. I see him around all the time at work, but it’s always in a kind of stressful situation. I was hoping tonight’d be less... stressful.’

Steve frowned. He was beginning to get a horrible feeling he knew what was happening here.

‘Where do you work?’ he asked, not sure if he wanted her to answer properly or ask why he was asking such a stupid question.

‘Stark Industries,’ she replied, waving at Tony and Pepper, who waved back.

Steve felt like smacking himself in the head. ‘You don’t recognize me, do you?’

Darcy looked at him. ‘Should I?’

He handed her the orchid. ‘I remembered your flower this time,’ he said.

Her eyes widened as she took it. She carefully placed it on the table, then smacked herself in the head. ‘ _Captain?_ ’ she asked.

‘Yes,’ he replied.

‘Oh my god,’ she said, turning red. ‘I am so embarrassed. I was looking for your uniform and helmet thingie!’

‘It’s black tie,’ he said, pulling her hands away from her face.

‘Yes, but I’ve never seen you without it,’ she said. ‘It just never occurred to me that you wouldn’t be wearing it!’

‘You don’t know my name?’ he asked. Darcy shrugged.

‘It’s not like I haven’t tried,’ she said. ‘But every time I got close to cracking the SHIELD servers, Coulson would kick me out. And I nearly had it last week, but then you came busting in beating up on that dude and breaking all our stuff, and it slipped my mind again.’

‘It’s Steve,’ he said. ‘Steve Rogers.’

‘Steve,’ she repeated. ‘I like it more than ‘Cap’.’

‘Darcy, would you like to dance with me?’

‘Steve, I can’t think of anything I’d like more.’


End file.
